Category: Active Working

There’s no denying it, we’re sitting more and moving less and this is causing havoc on our health and wellbeing.

Things have to change, attitudes have to change, understanding has to change, workplace cultures have to change and lifestyles have to change.

That’s why, since it started, we’ve promoted and supported On Your Feet Britain and their #SitLess #Move More campaign.

Take a look and see whether you can get your workplace involved?

Awareness of the “Sitting Disease” has rocket up in recent years. Surely it’s time your workplace joined in our fun event to take James Brown at his word.

Join 2 million office workers #SitLess and #MoveMore by signing up your workplace to a free event and see a different aspect of your colleagues. Find out who is The Wiggler, The Wag- gler, The Mover or The Groover.

On 26th April 2019 we’re challenging the nation again to get On Your Feet. Take part in our fifth national day when 2 million workers across Britain will sit less & move more.

Instead of emailing the person oppo- site, do something revolutionary – walk over & talk face to face. It’s a good way to do business & it’ll do you good.

Ditch your usual lunch ‘al desko’ and take a stroll outside. You’ll get a spring in your step and feel better for it.

Make phone calls standing up. You’ll feel more confident and burn more calories than sitting.

Why not take it on as an office chal- lange & free yourself from the office chair for the day. Find fun & easy ideas online to take part.

goPhysio’s Non-Clinical Director, Fiona, was invited to join the panel at Eastleigh Borough Council’s ‘Green, healthy, prosperous’ business conference on 27th June, at The Point in Eastleigh.

Joined by over 60 local businesses, the aim of the conference was to bring together senior representatives from some of the borough’s big brands, as well as up-and-coming companies, to share their experience and knowledge of making businesses healthier and more environmentally friendly.

Sustainability and Green Practice

The conference opened with an interesting overview of the Emerging Local Plan 2016-2036. The first panel, chaired by Lee Peck of Lee Peck Media, discussed best practice in promoting sustainability and green practices in the Borough. We heard from local bus company Blue Star, The Swan Centre’s manager and from Southern Water. It was inspiring to hear about initiatives and schemes that have been such a success in reducing waste, promoting ‘green’ practices and making businesses more sustainable.

Plastic was a hot topic and it was fascinating to hear about the Re Fill Scheme, a national, practical tap water campaign that aims to make refilling your bottle as easy, convenient and cheap as possible by introducing refill stations on every street. Such a great, simple idea and goPhysio signed up immediately. So, if you’re passing by us in Chandlers Ford, you can pop in and fill up your water bottle. Wherever else you are, just download the Refill app and see if there’s a Refill station near you – easy!

Health and Wellbeing

Next up was the Health & Wellbeing section of the event.

Fiona was invited to discuss issues surrounding best practice in promoting health and well-being among employees. She was joined on the panel by Alex Ryding, Environmental Health and safety Manager of Cooper Vision and Lynne Miller, Director of HR and Development at Ageas.

In 2011, an independent review commissioned by the DWP calculated that sick pay and associated expenditure cost companies £9 billion per year.Nestle reckons that the management of these sickness-related absences is 2.5 times more expensive than paying the associated salary.

Earlier this year, a study of 32,000 workers by Vitality Health in partnership with the University of Cambridge and Mercer, concluded that many employees now turn up for work when too sick to be useful. This phenomenon, known as presenteeism, combined with the more familiar absenteeism, could be costing a staggering £73 billion per year. Meanwhile, the Workplace Research Foundation reports a significant link between engagement and productivity.

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s), so issues affecting bones, joints, muscles and soft tissues, like back pain, neck pain or repetitive strains, comprise of up to 55% of workplace absences. So have a massive impact for employers. At goPhysio, assessing and managing MSD’s is exactly what we do, so Fiona was expertly placed to provide an insight into this area.

The key areas of discussion that all the panelists agreed on, were:

Employers must create a positive working environment for employees to encourage a healthy workplace

Regular breaks are an important part of being healthy at work

Initiatives such as step challenges, run clubs, walking meetings and cycle to work schemes are well received by employees and support and encourage a healthy workplace

Prevention of workplace injuries should be a priority

Physical and mental health are inextricably linked

An open and honest culture helps promote wellbeing in the workplace

Resilience training is a valuable skill for employees

Wherever possible, employees should stay at work – this has been shown to improve outcomes physically and mentally

At goPhysio, we advocate many simple solutions to creating a healthy workplace, reducing the risk of MSD’s and minimising their impact. These small but practical tips can be adapted and utilised whether you work from home or a large corporation.

Embedding a culture of being an active and healthy workplace, leading from the top, is crucial.

Small changes can have a big impact- encourage what we call, an active working environment. Move the printer to a central location that people have to get up and walk to, use task based activities e.g. stand every time you’re on the phone, have walking or standing meetings, ensure people take a good break every day, introduce flexible working patterns, reduce email use – go and speak to someone, set workplace challenges with activity monitors or pedometers, see up running clubs or promote ParkRuns. There are so many simple ideas!

Use a variety of workstation set ups. Seated desks, height adjustable desks so you can spend some time standing, perching areas, even working from the floor – variety is key!

Have an open honest culture to report any pain / injury. If left brushed under carpet, there is much more potential for the injury to become a longer term problem and more difficult to tackle. Employees shouldn’t be afraidto openly discuss any issues with fear of consequences.

Think about having channels for early intervention if an injury is reported. Evidence shows that early intervention is beneficial in prevuing long term issues. So getting the right assessment and treatment, with a realistic management plan is crucial.

Education is such an important factor. Pain does not always equate to damage and staying in work wherever possible gives the best outcome. We need to remove the fear that often surrounds pain and injury.

In order to be effective, workplace health and wellbeing strategies must be embedded in the fabric of the organisation, be accessible and well-promoted, supported by senior leadership, and, importantly, offer employees tangible incentives to participate.

goPhysio were delighted to receive an award recognising their contribution to a healthy community. We work directly with Eastleigh Borough Council to support their employee’s physical health by providing physiotherapy and rehabilitation. If this is something that your business would like to know more about then we’d love to hear from you and share how we can help you too. Just email fiona at fiona@gophysiotherapy.co.uk

It was such a positive afternoon and it is really encouraging to see how Eastleigh Borough Council are being proactive in tackling these issues for local businesses.

This Friday, On Your Feet Britain are challenging the nation to get On Your Feet. This is the fourth national day, when 1 million workers across Britain will be encouraged and challenged to sit less & move more.

Awareness of the “Sitting Disease” has rocketed up in recent years. Standing desks are certainly becoming more commonplace, in fact our offices at goPhysio have 2 standing desk work stations.

Is it time your workplace joined in the fun event to take James Brown at his word?

Join 1 million office workers #SitLess and #MoveMore by signing up your workplace to this free event and see a different aspect of your colleagues.

Here’s some ideas to get you moving

Here’s a thought, instead of emailing the person opposite, do something revolutionary – walk over & talk face to face. It’s a good way to do business & it’ll do you good.

Ditch your usual lunch ‘al desko’ and take a stroll outside. You’ll get a spring in your step and feel better for it.

Make phone calls standing up. You’ll feel more confident and burn more calories than sitting.

Run a lunchtime fitness workshop, class or guided walk.

Add a walking meeting to your day.

Have 1 less chair at a meeting. With every change in the agenda item, move around and swap who stands.

Walk to work or get off the bus a few stops early.

Set a timer or reminder to break up prolonged periods of time on the computer to remind you to stand up & move about regularly.

Drink more water – you’ll have no choice but to get up regularly to visit the loo!

Why not take it on as an office challenge & free yourself from the office chair for the day. Find fun & easy ideas online to take part.

So Friday 27th April 2018 is your chance to get the ball rolling and encourage your employees and colleagues to take a stand. Team up with colleagues and see how much “sitting time” you can reduce on the day.

UK businesses are failing health needs of their office-based staff – Workers appeal to bosses to take action that will help them lead healthier working lives.

The vast majority of office-based workers are aware of the health dangers of spending hours on end seated at their desks, but management is failing to respond to their needs, according to a survey to mark On Your Feet Britain day on Friday April 28.

Less than a third of line managers were reportedly either aware of the health risks of sedentary behaviour at work but not bothered, or were simply unaware of the issue.

In contrast, close to 90% of employees believed they ‘absolutely’ or ‘somewhat’ should be more active at the workplace, while only 5% thought they had no need to increase activity during their working hours.

On Your Feet Britain, now in its third year, is a free event run by the Get Britain Standing campaign in association with Active Working, a community interest company. More than 2,500 businesses have signed up to On Your Feet Britain, encouraging millions of staff members to participate in a variety of fun and simple activities in their workplace to allow them to #sitless and #movemore.

Growing scientific evidence indicates that sitting for more than four hours each day (however active a person you are outside the workplace) leads to multiple health risks (including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and mental health problems).

More than three-quarters of respondents to the survey, of 250 business organisations across the UK, wanted to see clear leadership, encouragement and better education on active working solutions, 38% believed a complete culture change was necessary, and 34% wanted access to adjustable desks.

Only 28% of companies were said to be ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged sitting, an encouraging 36% were ‘somewhat aware but keen to know more’, almost 22% were ‘somewhat aware but not that bothered’ and 13% were totally ignorant on the matter.

Almost 60% of co-workers questioned said they spend six or more hours a day seated during a typical office day and almost 90% spend upwards of five hours a day sitting down.

This despite more than 75% of office workers who replied to the survey confirming that they were ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged or excessive sitting. A further 20% said they were ‘somewhat aware’ of the dangers of the ‘sitting disease’ but wanted to know more. Fewer than 5% were either unaware or simply not that bothered.

Almost a third of line managers were reportedly either aware of the health risks of sedentary behaviour but not bothered or were simply unaware of the issue. Only 28% of companies were said to be ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged sitting, an encouraging 36% were ‘somewhat aware but keen to know more’, almost 22% were ‘somewhat aware but not that bothered’ and 13% were totally ignorant on the matter.

In contrast, close to 90% of employees believed they ‘absolutely’ or ‘somewhat’ should be more active at the workplace, while only 5% thought they had no need to increase activity during their working hours.

The average UK office worker sits 10 hours each day, with almost 70% of sitting taking place at work and 73 % only leaving their desk for toilet or tea breaks. Studies indicate that ongoing inactive behaviour is a risk for ALL employees, however fit and active they are outside the workplace.

“Employees across the country need to start asking for more activity in the workplace. No employee should be expected to sit for excessive or prolonged periods, like battery hens” says Gavin Bradley, Founding Director of Active Working. “On Your Feet Day is the perfect way to start experiencing the wellness and productivity benefits of sitting less and moving more. We are thrilled to see so many companies getting involved and engaged. We are all becoming increasingly aware of the importance of breaking up and reducing sitting time.”

On Your Feet Britain is a day when workers are encouraged to give their health a boost, converting sitting time to standing time by taking some simple actions. For example:

Stand during phone calls

Stand and take a break from your computer every 30 minutes

Use the stairs rather than the lift

Have standing or walking meetings

Eat your lunch away from your desk

Walk to your colleague’s desk instead of phoning or emailing them

Stand at the back of the room during presentations

If you’d like to get involved in On Your Feet Britain on 28th April, register here!

I came across this image on a blog last week. Could this be a timetable for a perfect, healthy work day?

In a world where we re almost permanately ‘switched on’, with less clear definition between work and downtime, more disrupted sleep routines, more sitting and less activity – do we need to go back to basics and het some sort of structure and routine back in order to preserve our health?

Workers appeal to bosses to take action that will help them lead healthier working lives

The vast majority of office-based workers are aware of the health dangers of spending hours on end seated at their desks, but management is failing to respond to their needs, according to a survey to mark On Your Feet Britain day on Friday April 28.

Less than a third of line managers were reportedly either aware of the health risks of sedentary behaviour at work but not bothered, or were simply unaware of the issue.

In contrast, close to 90% of employees believed they ‘absolutely’ or ‘somewhat’ should be more active at the workplace, while only 5% thought they had no need to increase activity during their working hours.

On Your Feet Britain, now in its third year, is a free event run by the Get Britain Standing campaign in association with Active Working, a community interest company. More than 2,500 businesses have signed up to On Your Feet Britain, encouraging millions of staff members to participate in a variety of fun and simple activities in their workplace to allow them to #sitless and #movemore.

Growing scientific evidence indicates that sitting for more than four hours each day (however active a person you are outside the workplace) leads to multiple health risks (including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and mental health problems).

More than three-quarters of respondents to the survey, of 250 business organisations across the UK, wanted to see clear leadership, encouragement and better education on active working solutions, 38% believed a complete culture change was necessary, and 34% wanted access to adjustable desks.

Only 28% of companies were said to be ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged sitting, an encouraging 36% were ‘somewhat aware but keen to know more’, almost 22% were ‘somewhat aware but not that bothered’ and 13% were totally ignorant on the matter.

Almost 60% of co-workers questioned said they spend six or more hours a day seated during a typical office day and almost 90% spend upwards of five hours a day sitting down.

This despite more than 75% of office workers who replied to the survey confirming that they were ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged or excessive sitting. A further 20% said they were ‘somewhat aware’ of the dangers of the ‘sitting disease’ but wanted to know more. Fewer than 5% were either unaware or simply not that bothered.

Almost a third of line managers were reportedly either aware of the health risks of sedentary behaviour but not bothered or were simply unaware of the issue. Only 28% of companies were said to be ‘very aware’ of the health risks of prolonged sitting, an encouraging 36% were ‘somewhat aware but keen to know more’, almost 22% were ‘somewhat aware but not that bothered’ and 13% were totally ignorant on the matter.

In contrast, close to 90% of employees believed they ‘absolutely’ or ‘somewhat’ should be more active at the workplace, while only 5% thought they had no need to increase activity during their working hours.

The average UK office worker sits 10 hours each day, with almost 70% of sitting taking place at work and 73 % only leaving their desk for toilet or tea breaks. Studies indicate that ongoing inactive behaviour is a risk for ALL employees, however fit and active they are outside the workplace.

“Employees across the country need to start asking for more activity in the workplace. No employee should be expected to sit for excessive or prolonged periods, like battery hens” says Gavin Bradley, Founding Director of Active Working. “On Your Feet Day is the perfect way to start experiencing the wellness and productivity benefits of sitting less and moving more. We are thrilled to see so many companies getting involved and engaged. We are all becoming increasingly aware of the importance of breaking up and reducing sitting time.”

On Your Feet Britain is a day when workers are encouraged to give their health a boost, converting sitting time to standing time by taking some simple actions. For example:

 Stand during phone calls

 Stand and take a break from your computer every 30 minutes

 Use the stairs rather than the lift

 Have standing or walking meetings

 Eat your lunch away from your desk

 Walk to your colleague’s desk instead of phoning or emailing them

 Stand at the back of the room during presentations

About Get Britain Standing:

Get Britain Standing is a dynamic campaign (operated by Active Working CIC) to increase awareness and education of the dangers of sedentary working and prolonged sitting time. We’re part of a multi-national campaign to promote #SitLess #MoveMore.

Learn More

If you’d like to learn more about ‘Active Working’, come along to our free event on 5th July at 2.30pm. At this free seminar goPhysio’s Non-Clinical Director, Fiona, will share the latest findings and recommendations on being active in the workplace. With a focus on ‘Active Working’, Fiona will discuss the benefits, challenges and practicalities of changing workplace behaviours to encourage a healthier working life.

Find out more about the problem of sitting too much

Learn how you can be more active in the workplace

Learn more about why being active is so important to your health

Practical ideas to take to your workplace

Fiona will also be joined by one of goPhysio’s Physiotherapists, who will be on hand to answer any of your work or postural related issues, aches or pains. Book your free place here.

In addition to being encouraged to exercise or move more, increasing our fluid intake is another simple way we are encouraged to help improve our health and wellbeing.

I recently came across these water bottles from HydrateM8. These bottles have graduated timings printed on them which allows users to monitor their water intake on a daily basis ensuring gradual and consistent levels of hydration. Recognising that there was no way I was drinking enough throughout the day, I invested in one.

I’m a sucker for targets and goals, (I’ve worn an activity tracker for years and love being measured!), so this water bottle has been great for me! I think I’ve gone from drinking about 500ml to 2 litres + a day!

The added bonus of increasing fluid intake throughout the day, is the resultant increase in trips to the loo. Subsequently, this means I’m getting up from my desk and moving more throughout the day! Win, win!

I have no choice but to take the stairs to the ladies, but if you have a choice or stairs or lift, or could walk to a toilet a little further away from your nearest one, this is another way to increase your activity. It may sound insignificant, but you’d be amazed how these little bursts of activity can add up over time!

Continuing our series of ‘Active Working’ blogs this week in the lead up to ‘On Your Feet Britain‘, our tip today is

Wear comfy clothes and footwear

Research has shown that wearing comfortable clothes can actually help increase activity in the workplace. A stiff suit or high heels doesn’t encourage you to take the stairs or go for a walk at lunchtime!

Depending on your working environment or policy, a uniform or smart clothes may be essential. If so, it’s worth considering taking a change of shoes to encourage you to go for a walk at lunchtime or it may be possible to choose fabrics that are more comfortable, roomy, breathable or have some stretch in them. Think about investing in some great flats or funky chunky heels as a compromise.

Many offices now have a ‘dress down’ Friday – this is a great opportunity to get a bit more activity in the day, when you’re feeling more comfortable in what you’re wearing.

Every day this week, in the lead up to On Your Feet Britain, we will be sharing some top tips for you to try in your workplace.

Why sit less and move more?

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that suggests excessive and prolonged sitting (irrespective of your level of physical activity) can lead to increased risks of:

Heart disease

Diabetes (T2)

Mental Health

Cancers

Backache

Thrombosis

Obesity

Muscle degeneration

So, today, here’s some simple exercises you can get up and do at your desk to break up your sitting time and re-energise your body! Don’t worry about your colleagues questioning what you’re doing, get them to join in too!

With consumers set to shell out billions of pounds on gadgets such as smart phones, tablets and games consoles this this Christmas, how do you make sure your gift doesn’t turn into a pain in the neck?

Technology has revolutionised every aspect of modern life from how we communicate to how we do our shopping. However recent research has suggested we now spend as long as 5-8hours a day on our smart phones and tablets! These devices are designed mainly with portability in mind so many of us will be familiar with the stiff thumbs from tapping away on games consoles, the burning neck pain from looking down at your ipad for a couple hours and the achy back from curling up on your sofa with your laptop on your knees.

Here our top 3 tips to avoid these pains

Limit technology time – set some simple boundaries like no gadgets at the dining table, switching off an hour before bed or no more than an hour at a time in front of a screen. Think about what you’re actually going online for – to complete a certain task or just as a distraction?

Think about your posture – your head is the heaviest part of your body so looking down at a tablet for hours on end is sure to give you a sore neck. Instead try a laptop or tablet stand, ideally with an external keyboard to bring your screen up to eye level. For smart phones straighten your back and hold the phone higher.

Stretch out after use – if you’ve over done it stretch out your neck muscles by gently rotating your head left and right and tilting it side to side several times, roll your shoulders and rotate your trunk left and right too. Use a heat pack or microwavable wheat bag to ease the tension and pain.